Severus Snape: Character Analysis v.14

[snapegirl]

Originally Posted by leah49

I disagree. He didn't name Albus after Severus because of his love for Lily. He did it because of the braveness he portrayed in being a spy in Voldemort's camp.

Imo, it's mixture of both reasons. What Harry tells little Albus Severus on the platform as he's about to go to school is a reassuring, comforting statement. Albus is scared to be placed in Slytherin, Harry comforts him by mentioning Snape was in Slytherin.

I don't think Harry, at that point in time, is going to fully explain the complex story of Snape and Lily to his 11 year old son.

I also feel that Harry understands that Snape loved his mom, very deeply, imo. And it's that love that made Snape see his mistakes and return to the Order and Dumbledore.
If Harry couldn't come to terms with that, I doubt he would name his son after Snape in the first place, imo.

[leah49]

Originally Posted by arithmancer

Harry has apparently concluded that Sev did not invent this particular spell, since he insists Sev "copied it down" and was "just making notes for himself". The non-mention of a trial and error process like that used for the other spells, suggests a factual (rather than emotional) basis for Harry's conclusion in this instance.

It was my initial conclusion that Snape was not the inventor of this spell, and it merely indicated that he was, later into his school years, studying advanced "Dark Magic". (Since he surely knew this spell, which he himself so describes in HBP). The evidence above was the basis of that conclusion.

Harry says "The Prince only copied it out." Which I think has a different meaning than "copied it down." I interpret it to mean the same as writing it out. But, I could be wrong.

[ccollinsmith]

Originally Posted by leah49

I disagree. He didn't name Albus after Severus because of his love for Lily. He did it because of the braveness he portrayed in being a spy in Voldemort's camp.

I agree that Harry didn't do it because Snape loved Lily but did it because of Snape's bravery. I also suspect that he did it because of what he learned from Snape about how appearances can be deceiving and how people can change their path in life.

But I also do not believe that if Harry had thought that Snape had a pathological fixation on his mother, he would have felt comfortable naming his son after him.

At any rate, I think we've gone about as far as we can on this topic. So agree to disagree?

Originally Posted by leah49

That's great, but that doesn't put your opinion above mine or anyone else's. I do, btw, work in freelance editing so I do know where you're coming from.

I couldn't agree more that it does not put my opinion above anybody else's.

I was simply responding to the implication that a preference for text over interview comments has something to do with wishing to defend Snape.

Originally Posted by leah49

I do think Rowling wrote a great text and I do think it speaks for itself, but you know how fans are. We like to get answers beyond the text no matter how well we know the text.

And that's fine. But we can also disagree on how authoritative those interviews should be considered.

Originally Posted by leah49

How. He's doing to because he's guilty for what he did. He wants to make up for what he did. It's all about what he did.

I think we're quibbling here. The fact is, the man has a conscience - implied by your statement above. But I really don't understand why trying to make restitution would be in any way a selfish act. When he offers "anything," he basically agrees to die if necessary, and he ultimately makes that sacrifice.

Originally Posted by leah49

That's a good question. I do think Snape feels conflicting feelings toward Harry. Harry is James and he can't stand that. But, then, Harry is Lily, his only love. I think there are times he wants to turn his back, but each time he remembers Lily.

I agree about the conflicting feelings. I'm not sure where you're finding a desire to turn his back, though.

[leah49]

Originally Posted by snapegirl

Imo, it's mixture of both reasons. What Harry tells little Albus Severus on the platform as he's about to go to school is a reassuring, comforting statement. Albus is scared to be placed in Slytherin, Harry comforts him by mentioning Snape was in Slytherin.

I don't think Harry, at that point in time, is going to fully explain the complex story of Snape and Lily to his 11 year old son.

I also feel that Harry understands that Snape loved his mom, very deeply, imo. And it's that love that made Snape see his mistakes and return to the Order and Dumbledore.
If Harry couldn't come to terms with that, I doubt he would name his son after Snape in the first place, imo.

True and it doesn't change anyone's opinion of whether that love was obsessive or not.

[arithmancer]

I feel the discussion of why Harry named a son after Snape belongs on the Harry thread. I'm going over there to post.

[TreacleTartlet]

Originally Posted by ccollinsmith

But I also do not believe that if Harry had thought that Snape had a pathological fixation on his mother, he would have felt comfortable naming his son after him.

I completely agree! I think it would be a very strange thing to do if he thought that Snape's feelings for his mother was unhealthy in any way.

[ignisia]

Ginny had to have also agreed as well, IMO. She was definitely not going to lie down and let Harry pick a name she wasn't comfortable with. I think Ginny, like her husband, saw that there was something worth honoring in Snape.

[Daggerstone]

Originally Posted by gertiekeddle

He believed that muggleborns are worthless as kid at least.

He what?!

No, gertie. Just... no.

[wickedwickedboy]

Originally Posted by MinervasCat

I think that Severus was very talented, and, very capable of inventing such a spell. But, if he did invent Sectum Sempra, are we sure it was invented as a Dark spell, or, did it just end up being one? There still seems to be some doubt as to how deeply he was into the Dark arts during his 6th year.

Well it was just my opinion. I have no doubts. He created Sectumsempra (HBP - he tells Harry before striking him); it was a very dark spell (HBP - he tells Harry after the Draco deal); he was deeply into the dark arts by 6th, because I feel he was fairly deep into it by 1st year (Sirius tells us in GOF). I have to imagine JKR's idea was that Snape sink deeper and deeper into it over time, so by the time Lily ended the friendship, he was fully immersed. That is how I see it.

'm not sure how a wizard "invents" a spell or curse. How do they put it together? Do they know when they start out what they are going to end up with, or, do they just experiment until they get what they're looking for?

Depends on the wizard and why he is doing it. Snape invented Sectumsempra for enemies - to harm them in my opinion, so in his case he started out looking for a dark means of doling out a little pain and retribution to his enemies. Hermione did this too when she had that cheat spell attack Marrietta. But other spells we saw invented for good purposes. So it depends I guess.

I do agree with you that JKR wrote Severus' character as a dark character, but, IMO, he was not very deeply involved in the Dark Arts until after he became a full-fledged DE, and, I think that was after he left school. Being interested in something doesn't mean that you are actually practicing it.

Cool.

[MistressofRaven]

Originally Posted by Daggerstone

He what?!

No, gertie. Just... no.

I second that. That's a very loaded statement to make when we have so little info about that particular topic.

[MinervasCat]

Originally Posted by leah49

True and it doesn't change anyone's opinion of whether that love was obsessive or not.

As I posted in the "signs of obsessive love" and definition of "obsessive love disorder," that is a very negative and distructive condition for the person suffering it and for the object of the obsession.

IMO, the casting of a Patronus as pure as the Silver Doe would indicate the purity of Severus' feelings for Lily. That is my opinion. That is why I do not, and will not be conviced that Severus had anything other than a true and long-lasting love for Lily.




Everyone is entitled to think or believe what they want about Severus Snape, and I have no problem with that. I think that each person's opinions should be treated with respect, and, when we state our own opinions, we should state them as such. Even when stating canon, I think we have to understand that, with the number of posters here, there are going to be many, many interpretations of each book and its characters, and we have to be respectful of that as well.

That being said, here is my character analysis of Professor Severus Snape:

I think that he was a sad boy from an abusive home, and was extrememly lacking in social skills. He met, and was eventually befriended by, a beautiful Muggle girl who could also do magic. In spite of the liklihood that having an abusive Muggle father and a mother from a Pureblood family would possibly prejudice him against Muggles, Severus made an exception for Lily Evans.

(I think Severus' attraction to the Dark Arts may have come from his mother, a former Slytherin, and, IMO, her Pureblood family was probably like the Blacks and Malfoys -- both of which were heavily steeped in the Darks Arts. We are not told so, but, Mrs. Snape may have possessed books and objects similar to those that Lucius was selling off in CoS, that had been handed down to her.)

Lily and Severus spent about 7-8 years as friends, and while I don't think Lily felt more than friendship for Severus, I think he fell in love with her. That is something that he did not have control over. During their 6th year, though, I think he could feel her slipping further from him due to several things: their being in separate Houses; Lily's outgoing personality compared to his backwardness: his becoming more attracted to the Dark side of magic and being involved with undesirable "friends." As he sensed this distancing, I think Severus started to feel more frustrated and insecure.

IMO, the continuous harassent by a group of Gryffindors for the duration of his school years amplified these feelings and contributed to the incident revealed in SWM. The end of his and Lily's friendship was brought about by Severus using a "racial" slur against Lily.

While the use of the slur is not defendable, I still take into consideration the stress he had been under for the entire day prior to the SWM incident. I contend that he said it in a state of anger and not intentionally, and, while he may have had negative feelings about Muggles in general, I don't think he would have ever called Lily a Mudblood if he had been in his right mind.

Does this excuse his dislike for Muggles? No. Does it excuse his use of "Mudblood." No. It was wrong, and, he knew it was wrong. That, IMO, is why he made an attempt to apoligize, but, ended up only making things worse.

Once the friendship was severed, though, he did not harass Lily or otherwise try to control her. He did not make any attempt to slip her a love potion, although he was a very astute potion maker, and, he did not promise her that he would change. He went on with his life on the path he had chosen and let her go on with her's.

IMO, when he carried the Prophecy to Voldemort, Severus had no idea who it was about as he did not hear the entire thing. Had he known that it could have been interpreted to mean Lily's child, I don't think he would have passed it on to Voldemort.

As to his "relationship" with Harry, I, personally, feel that he had a terrible time, mostly because of Harry's physical resemblence to James. I don't think he hated Harry, an 11-year-old boy. I think he hated the image of James that faced him every day -- with Lily's eyes; I think he became frustrated and angry with Harry for putting himself in danger, making Severus' job of keeping him safe even more difficult.

IMO, Severus worked hard to right the wrongs that he did in destroying his and Lily's bond of friendship and in being, in part, responsible for her death. He pledged himself to Dumbledore for this purpose, and, did everything he could up to the time of his own death to carry out that pledge.

Whether Severus actually grew to feel "affection" for Harry or not (I think he did), I do think he grew to respect Harry for his loyalty to his friends, his courage and determination in his pursuit of the downfall of Voldemort and, his following through on Dumbledore's plan.

I think that, while showing the "peronal" memories to Harry might have been to provide credibility for the ones necessary to vanquish Voldemort, the main reasons that Severus took hold of Harry's arm and said, "Look at me." were to see Harry's face, not only Lily's eyes, and to tell him to look at him, Severus Snape, in the memories and to realize who and what he really was.

While he got himself involved in the Dark Arts, I, personally do not believe that he was an evil person. This, to me, is reflected in his concern for his soul. While I think he went along with a lot of the DE activities, IMO, he was not a murder or torturer, but was an information gatherer and eventual spy.

Again, these are my opinions and my interpretations. They are based on several readings of the books, and, I'm not a big follower of "interviews," so I haven't heard that many of JKR's comments. Since I feel that the author puts out their work for the interpretation of the reader, it is my preogative to do this and not look to interviews to tell me what the author meant.

[RavenStar83]

If worthless is too strong of a word, there's still evidence that teenage/kid Snape either didn't care or thought they were worth caring for. (Okay, maybe worthless is the right word to use.) We see him call Lily a mudblood and he's willing to join a group bent on pure blood supremacy. Fancying Lily at the time didn't mean he wasn't racist, it just meant that Lily was an exception.

[Pearl_Took]

I do think Severus had a negative attitude towards Muggles when he was a kid, actually, based on my own reading. I think we see that in his reaction to Petunia, "She's just a M--" and he nearly says the word but stops himself just in time, because of Lily's likely reaction.

And I bet he had that negative attitude towards Muggles mainly because of his Muggle father, who we know was verbally, if not physically, abusive towards Snape's mother and also because he was a lonely child in an alien world, surrounded by ... Muggles, people who did not accept him (Petunia's disdainful attitude to him, a boy from the wrong side of town, seems to symbolise this).

As for his attitude towards Muggleborns, that's a lot more complicated, IMO. He doesn't mind that his beloved Lily is a Muggleborn in the slightest. He assures her that her Muggleborn status will be no problem at all at Hogwarts. (And what sad irony it makes, to read those words of his in the text! )

When he entered Slytherin House, and was greeted by Lucius Malfoy, I have no doubt at all that the young and talented Severus would have been surrounded by people deeply impressed with the growing DE cult and wanting to draw him into it. In some ways he was an easy target, IMO. He wasn't a fool ... but he was an easy target.

Because I think he wanted very much to be accepted, and I think he was a talented young wizard, and that would have drawn the attention immediately of the Malfoys and their like in Slytherin House. That was his big weakness, IMO, the temptation to power, to use his magical skills in that way ... not so much the desire to lord it over Muggleborns.

I am not denying that the racism angle plays a part in Snape's story. Obviously it does. In a moment of weakness he used a racial insult to his best friend, because of the nefarious influences he had fallen in with (IMO). But for me his prejudice is a much more complicated matter than, say, Lucius's. Lucius is a clear-cut case: a pureblood aristocrat who always believes that 'Mudbloods' are inferior. I don't see young Snape's journey (a half-blood, working-class boy) into the dark side of magic as anything like as clear-cut.

And, IMO, he turned his back on many of those old attitudes when he vowed to work for Dumbledore and against Voldemort.

The only social prejudice he allowed himself to retain was his antipathy towards Gryffindor.

[RavenStar83]

Originally Posted by Pearl_Took

As for his attitude towards Muggleborns, that's a lot more complicated, IMO. He doesn't mind that his beloved Lily is a Muggleborn in the slightest. He assures her that her Muggleborn status will be no problem at all at Hogwarts. (And what sad irony it makes, to read those words of his in the text! )

To be honest, I did wonder if Snape was lying to Lily, or I should say, trying to downplay the reality of Wizarding World. Because I do wonder if Snape knew even then that there was a prejudice against muggleborns, and that this was also going to exist at Hogwarts. I don't have the text with me, but I remember Snape taking a pause and just looking at her before he answered "it doesn't make a difference." That made me wonder if he did know for sure, and was figuring out what to say to her.

Because I think he wanted very much to be accepted, and I think he was a talented young wizard, and that would have drawn the attention immediately of the Malfoys and their like in Slytherin House. That was his big weakness, IMO, the temptation to power, to use his magical skills in that way ... not so much the desire to lord it over Muggleborns.

I am not denying that the racism angle plays a part in Snape's story. Obviously it does. In a moment of weakness he used a racial insult to his best friend, because of the nefarious influences he had fallen in with (IMO). But for me his prejudice is a much more complicated matter than, say, Lucius's. Lucius is a clear-cut case: a pureblood aristocrat who always believes that 'Mudbloods' are inferior. I don't see young Snape's journey (a half-blood, working-class boy) into the dark side of magic as anything like as clear-cut.

I do agree with all of this. I definitely don't think Snape was a racist like Lucius. Racism and prejudice in general can come in all forms. It can be debated which is worse than the other. But because Snape is shown to willingly use the word mudblood even to his bestfriend, I have no qualms calling teenage Snape a racist/someone who doesn't think muggleborns are that important.

But I agree that Snape was an easy target, who fell into wanting power and acceptance and making them the most important to him. Snape didn't have a good outlook when it came to muggles when he was a child, but being around the DE's influenced and fueled this greatly. And all of this is what leads him to his downfall before he turns to the side of good.

And, IMO, he turned his back on many of those old attitudes when he vowed to work for Dumbledore and against Voldemort.

I agree, and I think the text proves this so as well.

[ccollinsmith]

Originally Posted by Pearl_Took

I do think Severus had a negative attitude towards Muggles when he was a kid, actually, based on my own reading. I think we see that in his reaction to Petunia, "She's just a M--" and he nearly says the word but stops himself just in time, because of Lily's likely reaction.

And I bet he had that negative attitude towards Muggles mainly because of his Muggle father, who we know was verbally, if not physically, abusive towards Snape's mother and also because he was a lonely child in an alien world, surrounded by ... Muggles, people who did not accept him (Petunia's disdainful attitude to him, a boy from the wrong side of town, seems to symbolise this).

As for his attitude towards Muggleborns, that's a lot more complicated, IMO. He doesn't mind that his beloved Lily is a Muggleborn in the slightest. He assures her that her Muggleborn status will be no problem at all at Hogwarts. (And what sad irony it makes, to read those words of his in the text! )

When he entered Slytherin House, and was greeted by Lucius Malfoy, I have no doubt at all that the young and talented Severus would have been surrounded by people deeply impressed with the growing DE cult and wanting to draw him into it. In some ways he was an easy target, IMO. He wasn't a fool ... but he was an easy target.

Because I think he wanted very much to be accepted, and I think he was a talented young wizard, and that would have drawn the attention immediately of the Malfoys and their like in Slytherin House. That was his big weakness, IMO, the temptation to power, to use his magical skills in that way ... not so much the desire to lord it over Muggleborns.

I am not denying that the racism angle plays a part in Snape's story. Obviously it does. In a moment of weakness he used a racial insult to his best friend, because of the nefarious influences he had fallen in with (IMO). But for me his prejudice is a much more complicated matter than, say, Lucius's. Lucius is a clear-cut case: a pureblood aristocrat who always believes that 'Mudbloods' are inferior. I don't see young Snape's journey (a half-blood, working-class boy) into the dark side of magic as anything like as clear-cut.

And, IMO, he turned his back on many of those old attitudes when he vowed to work for Dumbledore and against Voldemort.

The only social prejudice he allowed himself to retain was his antipathy towards Gryffindor.

I agree with this reading. I also agree with what most of MC wrote above.

Here's a passage from her post that I'd like to explore more fully:

Originally Posted by MC

(I think Severus' attraction to the Dark Arts may have come from his mother, a former Slytherin, and, IMO, her Pureblood family was probably like the Blacks and Malfoys -- both of which were heavily steeped in the Darks Arts. We are not told so, but, Mrs. Snape may have possessed books and objects similar to those that Lucius was selling off in CoS, that had been handed down to her.)

The Prince family and how Eileen Prince managed to marry a Muggle - and even have it written up in The Daily Prophet - is a bit of a mystery to me.

If her family was one of the great, wealthy, blood-prejudiced Pureblood families (like the Blacks and Malfoys), then I think her Muggle marriage would have disinherited her. In that scenario, it is unlikely that Dark books and objects in the family would have been handed down to her. If her family was a wealthy Pureblood family, then the poverty of her condition as a married woman would most likely stem from having been disinherited.

At the same time, her marriage and the birth of her son were written up in The Daily Prophet. So someone made sure it was put in the paper - unless all major life events of all the magic people of Britain are also written up, which is a possibility.

Another possibility is that the Prince family may not be one of the great Pureblood families, but a Pureblood family fallen upon hard times - like the (bigoted) Gaunts or the (un-bigoted) Weasleys.

It's hard to judge what prejudices exactly Eileen Prince passed on to her son because she did marry a Muggle and that Muggle himself could be the source of young Severus' negative attitude toward Muggles. (And one also wonders if Tobias Snape married Eileen Prince unaware that she was a witch, as Seamus Finnegan's Muggle father married his mother unaware).

Regardless of family status, Severus' use of the "Half-Blood Prince" nickname, at least in the privacy of his Potions book, indicates that at 16, he identifies more with the Prince family than with the Snape family. It is certainly possible that the Prince family does have a long and proud family tradition. We're just not sure exactly what that tradition is - except that Eileen does appear to have given her son a strong preference for Slytherin, which he appears to regard as the brainy House.

I wonder how he would have done in Ravenclaw.

[vivekgk]

Originally Posted by Daggerstone

You answered your own question, vivek... Harry 'waves wildly'.

I asked once, I shall ask again: do we have canon proof it was Sectumpsempra? If I remember correctly, Diffindo is a cutting spell too.

It makes no sense to use a severing charm to cut. I mean, to sever something, there should be a joint, right?

If it was not Sectumsempra in SWM, then the only examples we're shown are Harry's use and Snape's, both of which result in severe wounds. Yes, Harry waves wildly, but we don't know that is was the cause. Malfoy had multiple deep gashes all across his body. We don't know what affects which aspect of the spell, or whether Harry was using it improperly or not. There simply isn't anything to compare. So, we have to conclude that this is in fact, the intended effect of the spell, and that the depth and extent of the wound cannot be controlled.

Originally Posted by Daggerstone

Which is why she shows us Potter itching to try Sectumsempra and jumping at the the first chance he got, I assume? Because it's the hallmark of someone 'deeply into the dark arts' and 'not praiseworthy'?

What does that have to do with anything about Snape? Harry didn't know what the spell would do.

Originally Posted by RavenStar83

To be honest, I did wonder if Snape was lying to Lily, or I should say, trying to downplay the reality of Wizarding World. Because I do wonder if Snape knew even then that there was a prejudice against muggleborns, and that this was also going to exist at Hogwarts.

That is what Snape did. He hesitates, then notices her worried, pale face before saying that it didn't make a difference. I believe that he thought there was a difference, but lied to make Lily feel better.

Originally Posted by RavenStar83

I do agree with all of this. I definitely don't think Snape was a racist like Lucius. Racism and prejudice in general can come in all forms. It can be debated which is worse than the other. But because Snape is shown to willingly use the word mudblood even to his bestfriend, I have no qualms calling teenage Snape a racist/someone who doesn't think muggleborns are that important.

Exactly. Besides, he called every muggleborn 'Mudblood', and was aspiring to be join Voldemort. I don't see how anything he did then suggests that he didn't care.

[FurryDice]

Originally Posted by MinervasCat

I think that he was a sad boy from an abusive home, and was extrememly lacking in social skills. He met, and was eventually befriended by, a beautiful Muggle girl who could also do magic. In spite of the liklihood that having an abusive Muggle father and a mother from a Pureblood family would possibly prejudice him against Muggles, Severus made an exception for Lily Evans.

Making an exception for Lily is the problem though - he shouldn't need to make an exception, it shouldn't matter to him that she's Muggleborn. Making an exception implies that it does matter and further, that she should be grateful to him for making an exception for her, for considering her better than other "filthy Mudbloods"

While the use of the slur is not defendable, I still take into consideration the stress he had been under for the entire day prior to the SWM incident. I contend that he said it in a state of anger and not intentionally, and, while he may have had negative feelings about Muggles in general, I don't think he would have ever called Lily a Mudblood if he had been in his right mind.

But that mindset would still have been there, imo. If that particular word could come out when he wasn't in control of what he was saying, and the suggestion that he used that word against others, it seems very clear to me that he did hold that prejudiced mindset. That mindset is not acceptable, imo, and I think if it had not emerged against Lily in that situation, it would have emerged in another stressful situation, because the prejudice was there.

Once the friendship was severed, though, he did not harass Lily or otherwise try to control her. He did not make any attempt to slip her a love potion, although he was a very astute potion maker, and, he did not promise her that he would change. He went on with his life on the path he had chosen and let her go on with her's.

We don't know that he didn't attempt to apologise again -we are shown a limited number of memories, and to say that he didn't approach her at all after the conversation outside the portrait is speculation, imo. As for not giving her a love potion, I don't think that merits a clap on the back - not drugging an ex is what any remotely decent person with a grip on reality does - use of a chemical to keep a person amounts to a terrible crime, imo and would be prosecuted as such in our world. I'm not suggesting that Snape would have done this, I'm just saying that it's nothing outstanding about him that he didn't do this. Most people don't drug their exes. (And Lily was just an ex in the platonic sense)

IMO, when he carried the Prophecy to Voldemort, Severus had no idea who it was about as he did not hear the entire thing. Had he known that it could have been interpreted to mean Lily's child, I don't think he would have passed it on to Voldemort.

That's probably my biggest problem with Snape - why does no other person's family matter? Why does it not matter that his information will get someone killed until he discovers it is Lily? He knows that he is an accessory to the murder of the boy and family Voldemort targets, yet he doesn't care until he finds out it is Lily. I don't think that's commendable in any light - I think it's a reprehensible act to not care that his actions will lead to murder.

While he got himself involved in the Dark Arts, I, personally do not believe that he was an evil person. This, to me, is reflected in his concern for his soul. While I think he went along with a lot of the DE activities, IMO, he was not a murder or torturer, but was an information gatherer and eventual spy.

I can't find it plausible that he never killed anyone as a DE. Even in the (imo, very unlikely) event that he didn't, he was certainly an accessory to murder, an accomplice, and joining a group such as the DEs does not show an iota of concern for his soul. This concern for his soul isn't shown until a much later date, when he has realised the consequences of his involvement with the DEs.

Originally Posted by RavenStar83

I do agree with all of this. I definitely don't think Snape was a racist like Lucius. Racism and prejudice in general can come in all forms. It can be debated which is worse than the other. But because Snape is shown to willingly use the word mudblood even to his bestfriend, I have no qualms calling teenage Snape a racist/someone who doesn't think muggleborns are that important.

I agree, and further proof is in joining the DEs, a group that had the wizarding population justifiably living in fear for their lives and who voiced an anti-Muggle/Muggleborn agenda.

Originally Posted by ccollinsmith

At the same time, her marriage and the birth of her son were written up in The Daily Prophet. So someone made sure it was put in the paper - unless all major life events of all the magic people of Britain are also written up, which is a possibility.

Some newspapers do carry wedding announcements, I don't think the Prince/Snape marriage was anything of a huge exception in this regard. Especially in a small community as the wizarding world seems to be.

I wonder how he would have done in Ravenclaw.

I think Snape would have done well in Ravenclaw - he certainly had the intelligence. However, I think what he wanted more was to be important and for his skill and intelligence to be recognised. Thus, he was sorted into the House for the ambitious. Ravenclaws put intelligence itself first, not success because of the intelligence in question. Though success may be a factor, I think intelligence comes first, success is something that may come from it. For Slytherins, intelligence and skill is a means to an end, a tool, rather than an end or an objective in itself.

[RavenStar83]

Originally Posted by FurryDice

But that mindset would still have been there, imo. If that particular word could come out when he wasn't in control of what he was saying, and the suggestion that he used that word against others, it seems very clear to me that he did hold that prejudiced mindset. That mindset is not acceptable, imo, and I think if it had not emerged against Lily in that situation, it would have emerged in another stressful situation, because the prejudice was there.

I'd like to add that this is why people in real life will be called out when they say something racist, as they should be. And I think the books themselves do a good job of portraying prejudice and racism in it's many forms. The fact that Snape had racist ideals against muggles and muggleborns was one of his grave flaws when he was young.

Most people don't drug their exes. (And Lily was just an ex in the platonic sense)

Most people who are not crazy don't drug their exes. I think Snape is a lot of things, but I have more faith in him than that. :-p

[leah49]

It is okay for Snape to have flaws. It makes him more real and less Gary Stu.

[snapegirl]

Originally Posted by leah49

It is okay for Snape to have flaws. It makes him more real and less Gary Stu.

Imo, with reading this thread, it doesn't seem to me that anyone's saying he wasn't flawed. In fact, for me at least, it's those flaws that make his character more interesting and real.